Energy Minister Dr. Roodal Moonilal has reiterated that the government is moving with renewed urgency to restart the shuttered Pointe-a-Pierre refinery, and Guyana’s government appears ready to join the effort.
Speaking at the 2026 Guyana Energy Conference & Supply Chain Expo, Dr. Moonilal confirmed that the Conference has accelerated talks with Guyana and potential investors.
He acknowledged that Trinidad and Tobago fell short in recent years when it came to working more closely with Guyana on shared energy priorities.
“Trinidad and Tobago has played a critical role in the Caribbean’s energy supply for many decades. It is with a sense of regret that I address you with the belief that over the recent past, we have not been able to conduct business, to integrate our strategies, to work with the government and people of Guyana.”
Dr. Moonilal said discussions at the Conference have strengthened T&T’s confidence that the long-shuttered refinery can finally move towards reopening.
“We are indeed encouraged to work with the Government of Guyana and other delegates and other entities present at this Energy Conference to advance the reopening of the refinery in Pointe-a-Pierre, Trinidad and Tobago.”
Guyana’s Minister of Natural Resources, Vikram Bharrat, revealed that the collaboration is already taking shape, with both sides actively exploring how the refinery restart could work.
“So that is an area that we’ve already been engaging on with Trinidad and Tobago, to look at the possibility of having that refinery restarted, to have investors play a part in that as well too, who are working with us in Guyana, that they too can work in Trinidad at the same time. And we’ve held several meetings together, yesterday, and we have a few more set up today.”
Speaking on the sidelines of the Conference, Dr. Moonilal explored the potential benefits, not just for both countries, but to serve the entire region.
“One can only imagine if we really restart a refinery in Trinidad, we can supply Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad, but also the rest of the CARICOM area, may have an opportunity to purchase products, whether it’s diesel, gasoline, fuel for the aviation sector, and so on. We can produce those products in Trinidad, and just one hour away we ship it back to Guyana, just to return it to Suriname, and right through the Caribbean chain of islands they can benefit. So the objective here is really to get a win-win situation, where Trinidad and Tobago win with a restart of a refinery, and Guyana wins because they get product.”
Dr. Moonilal said the refinery should never have been mothballed, noting that it is both an economic necessity and a regional opportunity.